The present invention generally relates to printer apparatuses. More particularly, the present invention relates to a printer apparatuses provided with a supply unit to supply one recording media at a time, a recording unit to record information to the recording media supplied from the supply unit; and a storage unit to store the recording media recorded at the recording unit.
Copiers having a drum to print characters and images to a sheet-shaped recording media (a sheet), and card issuing apparatuses having a print head to print characters and images to a card-shaped recording media (a card), are known in the art.
Generally, a tray is installed in a supply unit and/or a storage unit that is detachable from the apparatus unit to stack a plurality of recording media in a stack. Configurations of these kinds of trays are disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 56-9758 and Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. S58-154234. In the configurations, the tray is guided by guide members such as rails or the like with one direction for pulling, and can be mounted or removed in one direction from the front of the apparatus or from the side.
It is to be noted that, because an operator issues printing instructions, and must know the status of a printer apparatus, the printer apparatus has an operating panel that has an operating unit and a display unit; the operating panel is installed in the apparatus.
However, the apparatus setup direction and the direction for operator access to the apparatus are limited on apparatuses provided with the type of tray and operating panel described above. Also, if the tray is incorrectly inserted, it can strike the guide members such as rails and the like and damage the rails or the tray.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a printer apparatus that has freedom in the direction of its setup and is free of guide members such as rails and the like used to install the tray. According to the present invention, the printer apparatus has a support surface that supports a bottom surface of the tray; at least one wall surface that touches or opposes a side surface of the tray; and an opening that allows the tray to be detached from any direction within a predetermined angle of the side surface of the apparatus unit. Because positioning means, that position the tray where it can hand over recording media to the apparatus, is disposed in the support surface and/or the wall surface so that the tray can be detached from any direction of the opening continuously opened within a predetermined angle on the apparatus side surface, and because the detaching direction of the tray can be any direction, it is possible to eliminate guide members such as rails.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.